After a two-year hiatus, the Drafting Committee of the International Commission for the Anglican–Orthodox Theological Dialogue met between 18 and 23 October 2021 in Hierapetra on the island of Crete (Greece).

The meeting brought together on the Orthodox side Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium, the Orthodox co-president (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Protopresbyter Georges Dragas (Patriarchate of Jerusalem), Professor Bogdan Louvartic (Patriarchate of Serbia), Professor Nathan Hop (Church of Albania) and the Orthodox co-secretary Protopresbyter Christos Christakis. The Anglican side was composed by Archbishop Dr Richard Clarke, the Anglican co-president, Bishop of Norwich Dr James Graham, as well as Pastors Rev. Canon Dr Alison Joyce, Sarah Rawland Jones, Neil Vaïngers and the Anglican co-secretary William Adam.

The committee worked on the other text dealing with euthanasia and end of life, preparing the document for the upcoming plenary assembly. The Commission also undertook the study of the next topics: organ donation and transplantation, as well as marriage.

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An Extraordinary Meeting of the Forum of the Orthodox Churches in Europe was held via Zoom Call on Wednesday, 15th of September 2021, in the context of the Forum of Dialogue between the Orthodox Churches in Europe and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences of the Roman Catholic Church (CCEE). Despite the fact that this Meeting was jointly decided since last January, the very busy program of the CCEE, with several international conferences scheduled for the month of September, as well as the election of its new President, made impossible the participation of the Roman Catholic delegation. Nevertheless, the Orthodox delegates decided to meet among themselves and to benefit from this unique opportunity of fellowship and fraternal discussion. The Meeting, which was chaired by H.E. Metropolitan Prof. Dr. Gennadios of Sassima (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Orthodox Co-President of the Forum, dealt with the following timely theme, necessitated by the coronavirus crisis: Covid-19: The Society’s Experience and the Role of the European Churches Today.

The participants in the Meeting were: H.E. Metropolitan Prof. Dr. Gennadios of Sassima (Ecumenical Patriarchate), The Rev. Presbyter Prof. Dr. Bassam Nassif (Patriarchate of Antioch), Prof. Dr. Bogdan Lubardić (Patriarchate of Serbia), H.E. Metropolitan Dr. Joseph in Western and Southern Europe (Patriarchate of Romania), The V. Rev. Protopresbyter Prof. Dr. Giorgi Zviadadze (Patriarchate of Georgia), H.E. Metropolitan Prof. Dr. Vasilios of Constantia and Ammochostos (Church of Cyprus), The V. Rev. Archimandrite Dr. Amfilochios Miltos (Church of Greece), Prof. Dr. Nathan Hoppe (Church of Albania), H.E. Archbishop Prof. Dr. Job of Telmessos (Consultant, Ecumenical Patriarchate), Prof. (Em.) Dr. Konstantinos Delikostantis (Consultant, Ecumenical Patriarchate), and The V. Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Private Patriarchal Office (Orthodox Co- Secretary, Ecumenical Patriarchate).

The Meeting was opened with a moment of prayer. After the approval of the draft agenda, in his Greeting, H.E. Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima offered a brief overview of the establishment and development of the Forum between the Orthodox Churches in Europe and CCEE not as a mechanism to replace by any means the official theological dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, but as a proper regional avenue for the discussion of social issues and problems within a theological framework. In his introductory remarks to the main theme of the Meeting, Metropolitan Gennadios explained how the ongoing health crisis prevented the convocation of a new Forum Meeting. Then, His Eminence invited each one of the participants to briefly introduce himself and to share, with the other members, experiences about how his local Church faced and dealt with the tragedy of the coronavirus.

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His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew celebrated on 22 October 2021 the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his election to the Apostolic and Patriarchal Ecumenical Throne, in concelebration with their Eminences Metropolitans Elders Emmanuel of Chalcedon and Dimitrios of the Princes’ Islands, the Metropolitans Dimitrios of Metres and Athyra, Alexios of Atlanta, Joseph of Proikonnisos, Meliton of Philadelphia, Seraphim of Sevastia, Kyrillos of Krene, Joseph of Buenos Aires, Plato of Lagada, Litis and Rentinis, Kallinikos of Kastoria and Bartholomew of Polyane and Kilkis.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Ecumenical Patriarch was greeted on behalf of the Hierarchy by His Eminence Metropolitan Elder Emmanuel of Chalcedon. Greeting Messages were also read from their Beatitudes the Pope and Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, Patriarch Daniel of Romania, Archbishop Chrysostom of Cyprus, Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and all Albania and Metropolitan Epiphanios of Kyiv and All Ukraine, as well as from of the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on behalf of the Greek Government.

Were present many hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne, the Representative of the Holy Sepulcher in Constantinople His Eminence Archbishop Nektarios of Anthidona, members of delegations of the local autocephalous Orthodox Churches, clergy, monks and nuns, representatives of other Christian Churches in Turkey, the Ambassadors of Greece and Ukraine and other diplomats, and many faithful from Constantinople and pilgrims from abroad.

His All-Holiness also received many greetings, in writing and by telephone, from Primates of Churches, Heads of State, Prime Ministers and political leaders, hierarchs, religious leaders and many personalities, as well as many believers of all nationalities from around the world.

On 22 October 2021, His Holiness Pope Francis sent to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the following letter of congratulations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his election as Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch:

“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come” (Rev 1:4)

Dearest brother in Christ,

On the joyful occasion of the 30th anniversary of your election as Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, I express my fervent best wishes: Χρόνια πολλά! Ad multos annos!

I join you in thanksgiving to the Lord for the many blessings bestowed upon your life and ministry over these years, and pray that God, from whom all gifts come, will grant you health, spiritual joy and abundant grace to sustain every aspect of your lofty service.

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The Annual Conference of Secretaries of World Christian Communions met online on 12-14 October 2021 due to the pandemic of COVID-19. The annual Conference of Secretaries of World Christian Communions brings together representatives from diverse Christian traditions to exchange information and to discuss their work and fellowship together.

Secretaries heard reports from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Orthodox Church of Russia, Armenian Apostolic Church, Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church, World Council of Churches, Anglican Communion, Lutheran World Federation, International Old Catholic Bishops’ Conference, World Communion of Reformed Churches, Global Christian Forum, Baptist World Alliance, Global Pentecostalism, Disciples Ecumenical Consultative Council, Mennonite World Conference, Moravian Church Worldwide Unity Board, Organization of African Independent Churches, World Convention of the Churches of Christ, World Evangelical Alliance, World Methodist Council, Salvation Army, Friends World Committee for Consultation, and the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists.

Besides discussing the state of bilateral dialogues and contemporary topics related to the ecumenical movement, the secretaries also reflected on how the Churches have been challenged during coronavirus pandemic.

This informal ecumenical forum, dating back to 1957, sees itself as “communions of churches belonging to the same tradition and held together by this common heritage, conscious of living in the same universal fellowship and giving to this consciousness at least some structured visible expression.”

On 6 October 2021, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had a meeting with the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, at the Anglican Center in Rome. The two Church leaders, attending the same ecumenical and inter-religious events in Rome, had a cordial conversation on topics of mutual interests.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, together with His Holiness Pope Francis, attended on 7 October 2021, at the Pontifical University of Lateran, the founding ceremony of the UNESCO Chair of Ecology and Environment, which bears their name.

The ceremony included addresses of the Director-General of UNESCO, Mrs. Audrey Azoulay, His Eminence Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Chancellor of the University, Mr. Vincenzo Buonomo, Rectorof the University and at the end the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Pope. The foundation of this UNESCO Chair, as all the speakers pointed out, will contribute to a better knowledge of the issues of the protection of the environment as a gift of God to humanity.

In the afternoon, the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch participated in the final event of the International Inter-religious Meeting “Peoples as Brothers, Future Earth. Religions and Cultures in Dialogue” of the Community of Sant’Egidio in the historic site of the Colosseum. The event was attended by representatives of the Orthodox Churches of Russia, Serbia and Romania, as well as other Orthodox Oriental Churches and other Christian and religious communities. The event was also welcomed by Mrs. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

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His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew addressed the Opening Assembly of the International Inter-religious Meeting “Peoples as Brothers, Future Earth. Religions and Cultures in Dialogue” of the Community of Sant’Egidio which took place on 6-7 October 2021 in Rome. Men and women of various faiths and cultures attended the meeting to search for a way of peace for the world that, thanks to the vaccination campaign, is on its way out of the pandemic. This is the thirty-fifth promoted by the Community of Sant’Egidio in the “spirit of Assisi”, after the historic day desired by the late Pope John Paul II in 1986. Last year, the Meeting concentrated on the theme “No One Is Saved Alone”. This year, peace seekers from different faiths and cultures are trying to put in practice this awareness and look for the way to “begin again together”.

The inauguration ceremony and the Forums were held at the La Nuvola Congress Center. The final ceremony was a prayer for peace held in the Colosseum. The opening address was given by Marco Impagliazzo, President of Sant’Egidio. With him great religious leaders took the floor, such as Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the President of the Conference of European Rabbis Pinchas Goldschmidt, and Muslim representatives Mohamed Al-Duwaini, Deputy Sheykh of the Grand Imam of al-Azhar and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistenceof the UAE, and Luciana Lamorgese, Minister of Interior of the Italian Republic.

His All-Holiness underlined that the Covid-19 “has made more evident the fact that all the peoples of the earth belong to the one human family” and that “a new beginning is only possible together”. Political leaders, religious leaders and all humanity must therefore seize the opportunity given by this moment of change to “build the future on rock and not on sand”, stressed Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of the Church of England. Tolerance is the future, argued Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, holder of the world’s first and only Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, established by the United Arab Emirates. “We are committed to working with all individuals and nations,” he said, “to ensure genuine respect and compassion for the dignity of every human being and to preserve basic human rights for all.”

The final ceremony was a prayer for peace held in the Colosseum with the participation of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

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His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew together with His Holiness Pope Francis participated on 5 October 2021 in a round table meeting in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican on the role of Religion in the world, regarding the Education Teachers’ Day. The Patriarch and the Pope addressed the representatives of all the Churches and Religious Communities that had been invited, together with the competent representative of UNESCO.

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On 4 October 2021, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew addressed the “Faith and Science: Towards COP26” meeting at the Vatican and together with Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and other religious leaders he signed a joint appeal. The signing of the text was followed by brief addresses by the Pope, the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as representatives of the main religious communities.

His All-Holiness stressed: “We need this dialogue in order to sustain the environment, in order to coexist with one another as human beings and as part of God’s sacred human creation, and we need it in order to simple be, breath and love one another.” The Ecumenical Patriarch and the other faith leaders marked their personal commitment by pouring soil upon the roots of a young olive tree that will be planted in the Vatican gardens.

The Ecumenical Patriarch then met in person with Pope Francis and had cordial fraternal communication on issues of mutual interest. In the afternoon, His All-Holiness spoke at the “Science and Ethics for Happiness Project” meeting about world poverty. The meeting took place at the Vatican Academy of Sciences, under the scientific responsibility of Professor Jeffrey Sachs.

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